Polygraph when applying for a job: the essence of testing, questions and approximate answers

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The use of a polygraph when applying for a job still causes a lot of controversy and questions. Some are interested in the legality of such a check. Others are concerned about the question of how to deceive a lie detector and whether it is possible at all. It is not known which employer will offer the applicant to take a polygraph when applying for a job, so information about the procedure and other nuances of the test will obviously not be superfluous.

What is a polygraph?

This is a special equipment with sensors that are attached to the body. They allow you to track the complex biophysical changes produced by the body in response to a specific question.

The ability to decipher them correctly allows you to draw a conclusion as to whether the person being checked is lying or telling the truth.

Can I cheat?

It is believed that when checking a lie detector, you can easily give a lie as the truth, if you understand how the device functions. However, the popularity of thisway among employers is growing, which means that it gives its results. Otherwise, what would be the point of using a polygraph when applying for a job, spending money on it, but not getting a return?

Theoretically, anyone being tested can fool a lie detector. But after all, on the other side of the device is a specialist who has previously undergone special training. Before conducting a polygraph test when applying for a job, the candidate is first asked various questions, the answer to which there is detailed information. They ask, for example, name, age, etc. The testee's answers allow you to individually adjust the device in order to achieve the most accurate result.

You can react in exactly the same way, answering all the questions on the polygraph when applying for a job. But this can alert the inspector. Test results can be canceled altogether.

Wishing to cheat a polygraph when applying for a job, you need to give the expected reaction. At the same time, everything should look so natural that the polygraph examiner is not alert. However, not everyone can control their own emotions so skillfully.

What do employees think?

Not everyone is enthusiastic about the information about the need to pass a polygraph when applying for a job.

Some applicants already at this stage have a negative attitude towards the employer. After all, the check is perceived as a kind of credit of distrust. Potential employeefrom the first second it turns out to be not the most advantageous position. After all, he has to prove his honesty and decency.

Some applicants even believe that a polygraph test when applying for a job does not give reliable results, since the equipment can be deceived. Many methods have been devised for this. Among other things, the presence of acting abilities, which allows you to simulate the necessary emotions.

However, not everyone can use this option. After all, in case of suspicion, the inspector can ask the same question several times, using different variations.

Someone is neutral to the lie detector and even gives advice on how to pass a polygraph when applying for a job. Usually, such employees recommend answering questions honestly and not being afraid of checking instead of looking for ways to cheat a polygraph.

Why check?

There is an opinion that the use of a lie detector is sometimes really necessary. For example, in cases where a candidate is applying for a managerial position in a company and will bear serious responsibility, including material or financial.

A similar situation applies to employees who will be in contact with some values. If the candidate has previously been prone to stealing, a polygraph test will most likely reveal this.

Another common practice is to screen employees who plan to work in law enforcement.

Check results

Obviously, for an employerthe possibility of using a polygraph is an advantage. After all, this allows you to find out about a potential candidate even those facts that he tried to hide. However, for the employees themselves, this is additional stress. That's why many of them are wondering how to take a polygraph when applying for a job.

So, based on the verification, it is possible to identify those who are trying to hide the presence of problems with the law.

Successfully passing a polygraph allows the employer to make sure that the candidate can be trusted. This is especially true for positions that will be in charge of large financial sums.

Most of those who took a polygraph before hiring confirm that the test is really effective. The candidates have not lost the trust of their superiors.

Another important nuance is that a polygraph test should not address issues related to personal life and sexual preferences, in particular. However, the list of questions is usually discussed in advance.

Should I be afraid of a polygraph test?

It must be said that a person cannot be forcibly subjected to such a test. Consent must be voluntary. However, you need to understand that the refusal will look suspicious. Therefore, the employer will be able to find more than a dozen reasons not to hire an applicant who turned down an offer to take a polygraph.

If a candidate wants to hide information related to a previous job, this trick may not work. It is possible that the lie will become clear. Therefore, refusal to be admitted to the state will become a pattern. If there is something to hide, you can try to fool the polygraph. But you can simply refuse to check and look for an employer that does not subject potential candidates to such tests.

If you have bad habits, you need to be prepared for the fact that they will also become known. Usually potential employers pay attention to this. For many, addiction to alcohol and drugs is considered unacceptable.

According to the results of a polygraph test, employers form their own impression of a potential candidate. Assess the likelihood of conflict and other difficult situations, and also decide whether the applicant can be trusted.

How is the verification done?

All testing is divided into two parts. The examiner first performs a calibration, adjusting the equipment to suit the individual.

It is at this stage that questions are asked, the correct answers to which are known in advance. Having received the information, the exact settings of the polygraph are made. At this stage, the individual reaction of the person being tested to the truth and lies is revealed.

Then proceed directly to testing. Now the applicant is asked questions, the answers to which are of interest to the potential employer. Usually these are questions regarding bad habits, including gambling addiction, as well as the likelihood of causing any harm to a potential employer.

For each question, the person being checked hasonly two answers: yes or no.

Evaluation of results

It must be said that not everything is obvious in the check. It's not easy to get reliable results. That is why testing should be carried out only by a highly qualified specialist who will ensure the correct interpretation of the results.

There is a huge difference between trying to fool a polygraph and the situation when the person being tested is too nervous. After all, any check puts in your head the idea that you are suspected of something. And the need to make excuses and prove one's own honesty and decency is a stressful situation for any person who is not prepared in advance.

This is why, in some cases, a polygraph test for employment can take up to two hours. During this period, the test-taker is asked hundreds of questions, many of which are repeated many times in various variations.

This approach allows you to get the most reliable result.

Duration

Verification, including transcription of the results, takes approximately two to three hours. Therefore, the proposal to conduct testing for a period several times less should alert. Probably, the reliability of such information cannot be counted on. At the same time, a polygraph test is considered to be the maximum, lasting for three to four hours. Longer testing puts too much stress on both the tested person and the polygraph examiner.

From the point of view of the law

A considerable number of employees - current and potential -are interested in the legitimacy of the check.

The law of Russia is completely on the side of the employer. The use of a polygraph is considered a legal method, with only one caveat that the person being checked must first sign the appropriate consent. For a polygraph examiner, this is a necessity to avoid possible claims in the future.

Curiously, previously the candidate's consent was optional. Many filed lawsuits and won the case. Therefore, polygraph examiners are trying to protect themselves from unnecessary claims by forcing them to sign an agreement for verification.

Can I refuse?

Given the above information, you can guess what the answer is. It is enough just not to sign the consent. At the same time, not a single employer - neither an active one for the current period of time, nor even a potential one - has any legal grounds to force an employee to undergo a check.

However, you need to understand that the very fact of refusal creates doubts. If the candidate for the position is still only a potential one, the employer will most likely refuse him, citing any other reason or not mentioning it at all. If an incumbent turns down a polygraph offer, it's a completely different situation.

Every year the service becomes more popular. And those who are tested on a polygraph assure that there is nothing to worry about. It is recommended not to worry and not to hide the truth.